Incense Nightmare
by Demons Of Doom
Summary: Akane wasn't sleeping under the effects of the Incense. Her mind saw things that were not happening in her world, but in others. WARNING: This story is evil as hell, so beware. Graphic violence, death and whatnot.
1. Ukyo

Akane wasn't sleeping under the effects of the Incense. Her mind saw things that were not happening in her world, but in others. In one of them Kodachi and Shampoo and Ukyo wanted her dead….

**Chapter 1**

The sound of soft footsteps awoke her. It was dark and she could not see. But she was used to darkness. She had learnt to use her ears and her nose to learn what was happening around her. The sweet scent of recently cooked rice and fish floated in the air. She licked her parched lips and counted to five before closing her eyes.

The lights flared to life and the sound of jingling keys reached her ears. Again she counted to five and opened her eyes. The door of the cage opened and Sasuke stepped inside.

"Good morning, miss Kuonji. How was your sleep?"

"I've been better…"

Ukyo didn't move. She simply stared as her keeper placed a tray in front of her. Her stomach growled but she remained lying on her side on the cold stone floor.

"Come on, sit down and eat."

"It smells weird."

"Ukyo…Eat it..."

He hissed. There was a hint of alarm on his voice. Ukyo failed to catch it.

The sound of heels clicking on stone was like the raging of thunder to Ukyo's ears. She struggled to sit, dragging her chains. Sasuke gave her the chopsticks and pushed the tray closer…but it was too late. Kodachi had heard it all.

Her laughter sent a shudder up their spines and Ukyo almost dropped the chopsticks. She hugged the rice-bowl closer to her chest but it was forced out of her hand by a sharp blow. Whimpering like a kicked dog and nursing bleeding fingers, Ukyo Kuonji cowered in her corner.

Kodachi pulled her ribbon back and whirled it around herself, enjoying the sound it made as it cut through the air.

"Do you refuse to enjoy the food I hath so carefully prepared for you?"

"No, Kodachi-samma…"

"It seems as if you were…Are you lying to me, you untruthful wench?"

Ukyo clenched her jaw. Her hands closed into tight fists. She was a fighter. She had faced the violence of the sea all alone when she was but a child. She had grown alone when her father had left her. She had lived through a life of hardship and sorrow…How could she find herself reduced to a trembling moaning mess at this woman's feet? That same woman she had scorned and fought so many times before.

The ribbon cracked like a whip inches away from her face. Ukyo's heart skipped a beat and her muscles stiffened so bad that it hurt. The mere promise of its bite was enough to make her crumble.

"No, Kodachi-samma…I'm sorry…I'm not feeling well…"

"Must my delightful dish go to waste because you feel unwell? Are you that important, wench?"

Ukyo clenched her mouth shut. The sound of Kodachi's heels clicking on stone thundered in her ears again. Her long cold hand snaked across her cheek and Ukyo opened her eyes to stare at her self-proclaimed mistress. Her smile reminded her of the cold rictus on a reptile's face.

"Why still rebel? What is there to fight for? I am all you have. This is all you have…"

It's being months since she had being locked down there. No one had come for her. Kodachi reminded her of that fact every time she tortured her. She liked to mock her. She liked to make her feel alone and abandoned. Ukyo knew that her words would have devastated anyone else. But she was used to loneliness. She had always been alone. Just the first few years of her life someone had been there for her. Her father had been there for her. But then he had died…

"Oh, do not cry, my dear…" Kodachi purred wiping the single tear running down Ukyo's cheek. "I am here for you. Look at all the trouble I went through just to get you. To be here for you….Because we must be together. We must join our efforts…"

Kodachi's gentle caresses stopped. Her long fingers were now scratching her skin. The thin fingers closed tightly around her throat and Ukyo was shoved back hard against the wall. A whimper escaped her lips.

A small portion of steaming salmon was shoved into her mouth and she swallowed in silence. The food was bitter and it made her gag but there was little she could do. Resisting was futile. And so she kept swallowing in silence.

* * *

People didn't understand how important the little things in life are until they lose them. Everyone would take for granted the light of the sun and the clouds gliding gently across the light-blue sky. Few people understood the breath-taking beauty of a long extension of unperturbed grass. Even fewer would be able to catch the smell of leaves in the air.

Ukyo felt fortunate as she worked in the garden. She closed her eyes for a moment so she could appreciate better the sound of the leaves dancing in the wind. She caught the song of three different kinds of birds. Her forced confinement did not seem so bad anymore. If it had not happened, she would have been unable to understand the beauty of the paradise in which she stood.

"Do not hurt my flowers, dear."

Kodachi warned her. Ukyo opened her eyes and resumed her work. Their thorns had hurt her hands. The small numerous wounds ached and itched. But she supposed it was only fair. She was slowly mutilating the bush. She was cutting one by one the roses it had so carefully produced . Why should she hate it for trying to defend itself against the onslaught? How could it be blamed for hurting its tormentor?

"What a wonderful job you're doing…" Kodachi said. "Look all those roses so wonderfully cut. I'm pleased with you, Ukyo…"

Suddenly the cruel iron stopped biting her skin. Ukyo stayed frozen as the manacles fell from her wrists. Kodachi dropped the key and massaged her skin. The stimulus to the bruised skin hurt but Ukyo did not dare to move. She had gotten so used to being restrained. She had gotten used to the dead weight of metal on her hands. Now her wrists felt cold and exposed.

A voice inside of her mind was screaming at her. It was commanding her to move. It wanted her to attack the evil creature leaning over her. It wanted her to break the chains on her feet and run…But Ukyo paid it no mind.

She stared at Kodachi's fingers. They danced over her wrists. The pain they caused gradually eased until her touch no longer hurt.

"You are doing splendidly. I always reward willful hard-working servants." Kodachi was whispering into her ear. Her cold breath brushed against her neck- "Sasuke has informed me that Genma Saotome tends to sleep until late hours under Nerima's bridge…"

Ukyo's trembling stopped. Her eyes widened. Kodachi released her hands. The manacles holding her ankles loosened and dropped to the ground.

"Go and tear him apart."


	2. Shampoo

Nerima was a residential neighborhood, and there, people were free from the noise and smoky air of the near Capital City of Tokyo. The people were friendly and there were stores and good schools as well as Hospitals. It was also a safe place, where robbery and violent crimes were an odd occurrence.

But like in every residential area near a Capital City there were places and corners where it was better not to wander in. There were places like the fair or the commercial district which boiled with life during the day but that lay deserted in the hours of night if but for a few customers that searched for merchandize not available when honest people were looking.

Thugs roamed those dark isolated streets in search of victims that would provide an easy income of cash. Drunks wandered from bar to bar and collapsed in silence in secluded corners. Some criminals found refuge in the dark alleys of those streets, protected by the viciousness of their residents for not even the police dared venture into the deep parts of those dark forgotten places.

A hunched figure walked unsteadily through those dark streets as if they were home. Belligerent drunk and thugs and rapists would glance its way and quickly retreat. It wasn't a person one would fear at first glance. For starters, it was a she. And she was small and young. But they all scattered like rats before an old alley cat at the sight of her lithe petite form.

Shampoo regretted her reputation. The alcohol raging through her veins helped ease the sorrow that had nested on her heart like a parasite feeding of her energy. But it did little against the rage that came with that sorrow. The anger born of the humiliation and betrayal could not be tamed. It needed to be released.

She had taken into walking through this forgotten hell-hole. She had come here to drink for her sorrow and to fight and spill blood for her anger. But now everyone knew better than to try and attack her. Now everyone was afraid of her. They had all abandoned her to gnaw on her raging fury all alone.

She stopped and snarled to the sky. Homeless people cowered in their corners. Dogs and cats scattered. But no one came out of the shadows to shut her up or to demand an explanation. Her screams echoed between the tall unfeeling stone of the buildings crowding her. It slowly faded into silence.

Everything remained still and quiet. Shampoo took the bottle of vodka in her hand to her lips and drank as if the burning liquid were just water. It went down her throat and into her stomach. She could barely feel it anymore.

She threw the empty bottle against a wall, enjoying the sweet sound of glass shattering in a thousand pieces. Her glossy eyes regarded the isolated and dark streets before her. She wondered why another step should be taken. She wondered why she was still alive. She wondered why her Great-Grandmother had not showed mercy and slayed her.

"Shampoo."

She frowned, unsure if she had really heard the mention of her name by a familiar voice. The Amazon turned, her movements slowed by the poisonous effect of the alcohol running through her veins.

Someone was walking towards her. It was a woman. A young woman that was slightly taller than her. Her brown hair was tied into a ponytail that waved in the cold wind. And something was strapped to her back. It was something that gleamed under the light of the moon.

Shampoo's glossy eyes narrowed as she strained to remember the identity of the familiar figure.

Ukyo stepped into the light and regarded the Amazon carefully. She was wearing one of her usual outfits: a silk light-colored blouse and matching pants. There was a dark leather breastplate covering her chest with an intricate drawing upon its surface. The cloths were ragged and stained with dirt and drops of dry blood.

Her long lavender hair, once so smooth and gorgeous was a matted mess. Gone was the innocence from her eyes and the radiant smiles. Her face had lost that chubby-babyish hue. It was frozen in an expression of apathy and bitterness. It had frozen on the belligerent visage of an angry drunk.

"Long time no see." She said sadly. "I thought you would have left for China."

Shampoo swayed unsteadily on her feet. Ukyo wondered if she could even recognize her. Kodachi had dismissed her request of assistance so casually. She had told her that she would be able to secure the Amazon on her own. Ukyo understood now why she had been so sure. What she didn't understand was why Kodachi wanted her. What use could a broken person like this one have?

"No can go back…" The Amazon blurred. "No can kill. No can marry. No honor. No can go back."

"You should have left somewhere else…"

Shampoo growled and shifted her stance. She swayed no more.

"No tell me what do!"

The Amazon dashed towards the other girl, moving surprisingly fast and straight for someone so wasted. Her dull eyes were burning as she threw a wild punch at Ukyo's head. The taller girl casually stepped aside to avoid the charge.

Shampoo staggered to a halt but was sent sprawling face-first into the pavement by a swift kick to the back. Ukyo sighed, watching her struggle on her hands and knees for a moment, before kicking her sharply on the back of the head. Shampoo grunted and fell back down. She did not move anymore.

"You should have left somewhere else, Shampoo."

She said again and hauled the unconscious girl over her shoulder and walked away.

* * *

Ukyo turned her head aside as Shampoo retched violently into the bucket again. It was disgusting. She was grateful that Sasuke was there. Cleaning duties had been imposed on him. He bent and cleaned whatever spilled into the ground. But there was nothing he could do against the acrid smell floating in the air.

Kodachi, apparently unperturbed by it, carefully cleaned the shivering girl's face with a wet cloth once the retching stopped. Shampoo's wild eyes fixed on hers.

"What wrong with you?! I kill you!"

"What's wrong with me?" Kodachi chuckled as she pulled stray locks of lavender hair away from Shampoo's sweating face. "There's nothing wrong with me, darling. But there's something very wrong with you. That disgusting poison you have fed your body with must be purged."

Shampoo heaved a pitiful moan as Kodachi tilted her head back again. Ukyo hesitated but all it took was a glance from the dark cold eyes of her mistress for her to tighten her hold on the Amazon's arms to keep her still.

"No!"

"Hush…"

Ukyo stared at the greenish phial between Kodachi's fingers. She wasn't sure what the liquid it contained was, but the Black Rose kept forcing it down the Amazon's throat every time the retching stopped only so it could start all over again.

"Aiya! Liánmǐn!"

"Sorry, dear. I do not speak barbarian."

Ukyo held into the convulsing body between her arms as Shampoo was allowed to bent forward again and vomit again. Her body was covered in a cold sweat that made her skin slippery. Ukyo wanted to let her go. Her anguished wails were piercing through her heart.

Kodachi waited patiently until the Amazon was finished before forcing her head back again.

"...l-liánmǐn!"

"Hush…"

"Kodachi-samma….She's begging for mercy…"

The words blurted out from her lips before she could stop them. Kodachi's eyes narrowed as they fixed on hers. Ukyo held her gaze for what seemed an eternity, before quickly looking down.

"It has been an hour already, has it not? Perhaps you are correct, Ukyo. Maybe we should stop. Maybe we should see what could be done to fix your attitude a little bit."

Now it was Ukyo who trembled violently. She knew what those words meant. Her entire body started failing her at the prospect of being punished again. Of being tormented by that…monster in human disguise. She mumbled her answers.

"What was that, dear? I did not hear you…"

"Don't…don't stop…"

"Should we go on?"

"Yes, Kodachi-samma…"

"Let's then…"

Shampoo wailed pitifully as Kodachi tilted her back and shoved the phial between her teeth yet again.


	3. Broken Chef

**Chapter 3**

The cool air blowing through the leaves usually helped to ease her nerves. The smell of the grass and the blooming flowers were a gift she could rarely receive. And the fresh caress of wind was a welcome change to the humid still air present on the confinement of her cage.

That night, however, the smell of flowers and leaves seemed bitter. The cold air was not soothing. It bit into her bones and made her shiver. Maybe it was her conscience bothering her. Maybe the presence of her companion was no longer tolerable. Kodachi wasn't scary that night. She disgusted her.

"Drink your tea, Ukyo."

Her hands were trembling as she reached for the cup of tea and drank. She grimaced at the bitter taste of the dark liquid. Everything in that place tasted bitter.

A newspaper sat in the center of the table, between a plate of cookies and the tea-pot. It contained the news of what had happened the day before yesterday. It talked of a gruesome crime that had shocked the residents of the calm residential neighborhood of Nerima.

Ukyo wasn't proud of what she had done. It had felt good. It had felt wonderful. Every scream and every drop of blood hitting the ground had brought release to her tormented mind. He had been the cause of all the misery in her life. Because of him, Ukyo had lost track of all that was important in her life. Because of him she had lost her father. She had lost herself to her anger. She had lost her heart to an ungrateful bastard.

Genma Saotome had being the cause of all her misery. He had ruined her. She did take pleasure on the slow torment she had put him through. But she did not feel proud. She felt disgusted with herself.

Kodachi, however, had laughed. It was a sound Ukyo despised and feared. Hearing that laughter was like having shreds of glass shoved into her ears. It was maddening.

"I, dear Ukyo, would have being unable to do a better job. And no one heard a thing! Either the Saotome patriarch was too brave to scream…or you did something to keep him quiet…"

Kodachi locked eyes with her. Ukyo did not look down this time.

"You stabbed his throat with the needle right here like I taught you? Did that keep him quiet?"

"Yes, Kodachi-samma."

"Did you enjoy it?"

"Yes, Kodachi-samma. Thank you for letting me have him."

"And you dropped what was left of him where I asked you despite the risks. You are a wonderful servant. I shall reward you again soon. But for now, let's get you back to your room." She laughed and Ukyo cringed. "I shall visit my Ranma darling tonight! He must be heart-broken!"

* * *

Shampoo was silent as Kodachi secured the chains around Ukyo's wrists and ankles. The Dark Rose was far too gone to pay any attention to her and she leapt out of the room cackling madly, her ribbon twirling behind her like the tail of a dragon. The door slammed shut and they were left alone.

Ukyo stared at the light. She didn't like it when it was on. It allowed her to see her trapped body and the empty cold room that had became her home. And now, it also let her see Shampoo. The girl was going through withdrawl and her eyes were a frightening sight. She shivered and sweated despite being naked in the cold room.

Ukyo pulled her legs to her chest and hid her face in them. She could not stand to see her.

"What happen to you?"

"Don't talk to me…"

"Ukyo great warrior…You I respect before but you is lap dog now..."

She flinched at that and finally found the strength to look up if only to glare at her.

"Oh, yeah? Well, how about you? Wasted all the time. And when was the last time you took a bath, anyway? You stink."

"Lap dog of crazy phsyco rose-girl..."

Ukyo shuddered as she glanced at the door. She was no lap-dog…She…was afraid of what Kodachi would do if she heard her retort. Fighting to control her anger, she glared at Shampoo again.

"Don't call her that. If she hears you…"

"You is disgusting….following her around like dog. Doing what she tell you like dog…I Joketsuzoku. I no afraid. I no break to psycho rose girl!"

Ukyo did not answer. What would be the point? Shampoo did not know what she was talking about. But Ukyo did. She had been defiant too. She had spit on Kodachi's face and challenged her to do the best she could. She had insulted and cursed her for months on end.

And here she was, letting herself be bound and locked. She had been running around Nerima doing her dirty work. Kodachi had broken her. It was true. She had just realized that. It was slightly disturbing but…what could she do? Resistance was futile.


	4. Breaking the Amazon

**Chapter 4**

At times, it was hard not to fall in the temptation of stabbing something into her ears. She could close her eyes when Kodachi wasn't looking but there was nothing she could do to stop hearing. Shampoo's screams of agony filled the room as the ribbon lashed mercilessly across her back.

"Again!" Kodachi commanded, finally pulling the ribbon back. "Correct that sentence!"

It wasn't so hard, Ukyo mused. She didn't understand why Shampoo had so many troubles using the correct pro-nouns or verbs. She didn't know anything about Mandarin but it couldn't be all that different from any other language. Why was it so hard for her to learn?

Kodachi hit her with the ribbon again and Ukyo's hands closed into tight fists. Maybe she couldn't learn. Maybe there was something wrong with her. Maybe she was stupid. Why punish someone for being slow or stupid? Ukyo felt again a terrible urge to rip her ears out if only to stop the noise and keep Shampoo's cries from tormenting her.

Kodachi had dropped the ribbon to the ground. Her long fingers tangled in the lavender hair of the captive girl and pulled her head up. She stared at Shampoo as she babbled incoherently in a mixture of Mandarin and Japanese. Disgusted, the black rose dropped her head and walked away.

"Clean her up, dear. We shall continue later."

Ukyo walked numbly towards Shampoo and released her from the chains and gently eased her to the ground. There was a bucket with water waiting nearby. She submerged a cloth into it and wrung it, making sure it remained wet but did not drip. Triggering the girl's curse was a mistake she did not dare make again.

Shampoo cried out when she placed the cloth into her wounds and her trembling intensified. Ukyo's hands were also trembling. She had brought her here. She was the cause of this girl's misery. She had done this to her.

"It's your own fault! Why don't you study? It isn't so hard!"

"I do study!" Shampoo wailed, grabbing her head with crisped hands. "I do study! I do study! I do study! I do study!"

"Stop that, damn it!"

Shampoo stopped her litany. She stayed there, whimpering and sobbing like a heart-broken child. Ukyo felt horrible for yelling at her. Had she no shame? No compassion? Genma deserved the torment she had put him through…But what did Shampoo ever do to her? Why was she doing this to her?

"It just…really freaks me out. Come on, don't cry anymore. Let's practice together. It's not so hard. You use 'is' for 'he' and 'she' and 'it'. Then you use 'am' for I and 'are' for the rest…"

"I use 'is' for 'he' and 'she' and 'it'. Then you use 'am' for I and 'are' for the rest…"

"'Me' is an object pronoun. Use it only with other objective pronouns like…'us' and 'him' or 'her' or 'you' and 'them' or when the pronoun is the object of a preposition…"

"'Me' is an object pronoun. Use it…"

"Don't just repeat it, Shampoo! Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes…"

"Say it right."

"I understand what you are saying…"

"There you go!" Her eyes filled with tears and all of her self control almost slipped. It was strange how such a little thing could make her so happy. "You see? It's not so hard!"

Shampoo did not answer. She had stopped trembling and was silent as Ukyo finished cleaning the new cuts adorning her back.

* * *

The garden was wonderful that time of year. It was covered with all shades of green. Flowers bloomed in each bush and tree and even the grass produced small white flowers that lured hungry yellow butterflies. There were many birds among the tree branches and their songs filled the air.

There was a sudden tremor among the leaves and branches of a willow tree. The chirping of the birds grew in intensity. They were scared and surprised. Ukyo stared as a nest fell to the ground and a dead bird fell with it. A small figure crawled down the trunk of the tree and ran to Kodachi.

"These are really fast!" She said, watching the dead bird Shampoo dropped before her. "Very nice."

The dead bird was placed in a basket among a dozen of others. Ukyo did not dare to comment as she plunked the leaves of the roses and piled them up carefully into another basket. Ukyo looked up at the tree tops and wondered if the birds would learn it was not a safe place to be anymore.

Kodachi poured hot water over the small cat. It grew and changed. Shampoo sat before them, her mouth still stained with the blood of the birds.

"Chop those up for me." Kodachi said, handing her a basket filled with leaves. Her long cold eyes wandered to Ukyo. "Can you tell me what those are?"

"No, Kodachi-samma."

The Amazon leaned forward and sniffed at the basket.

"It's tala, Kodachi-samma."

"You should not answer a question that was never addressed to you. It is rude. Tell me now what it is for, as you seem so eager to talk."

"It…It is poison." Kodachi looked up sharply. Shampoo cowered and stammered, elaborating quickly on her answer. "The smoke of burnt leaves is poisonous. You choke and die…yes?"

Ukyo nodded at her. The grammar of the entire sentence was alright. Kodachi, however, was still staring intently at her. Her eyes were unreadable. After tense seconds, she looked away and seemed very interested on the dead birds she had gathered in the basket. She suddenly grabbed them and threw them into the water.

"I did not know that…I make people eat it to induce a deep sleep with nightmares."

Shampoo glanced fearfully at Ukyo. The chef looked away, continuing her work with the roses.

"How come you know this?"

"Great-grandmother is a respected healer. A herbalist with a great knowledge. She taught me lots of secrets…"

"Of course. Your Great-Grandmother. I have always wondered why she has never come looking for you."

Ukyo looked up sharply. Kodachi was smiling with her eyes closed, enjoying the sweet scent of one of her roses. Shampoo's eyes had glazed over.

"There also was that strange man. Mousse was his name? I was told he kissed the dirt you stepped on...I wonder where he is the nights I make you scream so much…"

Ukyo's eyes narrowed. She had closed her hands into tight fists, crushing one of the black roses. The pain of the thorns digging on her skin went unnoticed. Her anger was too great for her body to feel anything else. She had never felt such intense hatred for anyone her whole life.

"Why do you think they have not come to help you, Shampoo?"

"They don't know I am here."

"Did they not know you wandered aimlessly through the dark streets of Nerima? Did they not know how you drowned yourself every night on the poisonous cheapest drinks of the lowest classes?"

Shampoo's eyes widened and grew slightly unfocused.

"That they knew…"

"And they left. They did not care."

"They did not care…"

"Ranma-darling did not care either…"

"Ranma did no care either.."

"But we care." Kodachi reached out and placed a cold hand over Shampoo's. "We've gone through a lot to help you pull through this. You are here and you are safe with us."

Shampoo nodded. She was handed the basket of Tala leaves and was commanded to chop them up. She worked in silence and did not look up the rest of the afternoon.

* * *

"I've being in Pekin, but I have not really paid much attention to anything while I was there, you know. I was actually searching for…Well, for someone…The streets were a little too crowded for my taste so I didn't stay long either…"

Ukyo had been left alone in that dark prison for months. She had gotten used to the darkness and the silence. But getting used to it did not mean she had ever learnt to like it. She hated it. If it had not been for Sasuke's frequent visits, she knew her time in solitary would have driven her mad. Waking up in the middle of the night by a sudden cramp on her back or legs was the worst of it. Being able to move freely and facing in solitude that oppressing nothing was overwhelming.

She had dreamed and pleaded to have a companion. When Shampoo had been dragged and chained here with her, Ukyo had being glad. She felt bad but at least now she would not be alone anymore. But now she wanted her solitude back. She wanted her prison to be silent again.

She stopped talking for a moment. Her eyes watered. Her throat was so parched. She licked her lips in an attempt to moister them a bit. She remained in silence for a few wonderful seconds.

A plaintive noise emerged from the impenetrable darkness before her. Once it started, it did not stop. It only grew louder. Its anguish pierced through her heart and ears. The jingling of chains followed and Ukyo could almost see Shampoo there, a few meters from her, her hands grabbing her head as she swung it back and forth, the chains connected to her wrist and neck jingling with each movement. She always did that when silence settled in.

Ukyo covered her ears with both hands, trying to block the horrible sounds. She was so tired. She wanted to sleep. She didn't want to talk anymore. It hurt to talk. She was thirsty. She needed water. Her body started trembling violently.

"Stop it, Shampoo. Please stop it! You're driving me crazy, just stop it!"

Her throat burnt as she screamed with all the strength of her lungs. She had jumped forward and the chains had forced her back against the wall. She struggled and jerked against them for a moment and slumped back down. She needed to calm down. She needed to control herself. She was not an animal. She could reason and understand what was happening. She needed to accept what could not be helped. She depended on Sasuke to bring her water. She depended on Kodachi to free her from the chains. She needed to wait.

"I liked Ma Duo. It was a small city with fewer people." She said after a moment. Shampoo's whimpering stopped. "I didn't speak a word of Mandarin and all the people were so polite anyway. It reminded me of Kyoto. I was born in Kyoto. I've missed it all the years I was away, you know? If I could do things differently…I don't think I would have left…I don't think I would have left everything behind for…some boy…"

She stopped. This time it was not the pain on her throat forcing her to stop. It was a worse type of pain. One that made her choke. She heaved a sobbed and covered her face with trembling hands. She fought it and failed. She started crying and she could no longer stop.

Shampoo started moaning and whimpering. The sound of chains jingled in the darkness as she swung her head back and forth.


	5. Broken Amazon

**Chapter 5**

His smile was overpowering. It could have melted the coldest heart. It was not a smile he shared with everyone. It was a private smile. It was exclusive. It was only directed at one person. It was for Akane Tendo. Only for Akane Tendo…

Shampoo let out a nightmarish howl as she threw herself forward, trying to reach the television with crisped hands. The chains rattled. They held her back and she struggled against them like a rabid beast.

Ukyo watched the video in silence. She had watched it thousands of times. She had cried at first. Then she had screamed at Kodachi for showing it to her over and over again. Then she had cursed Ranma and Akane for getting married. She had cursed them and wished them so much pain for being happy while she suffered. But now she could no longer feel anything.

The scene was played again. Ukyo sighed wearily and decided to study her companions instead. Sasuke looked concerned at Shampoo as she thrashed and screeched. He did not care if she hurt herself. He seemed more worried about the fact she may break loose. Ukyo wondered if she should talk to her. She always calmed down when she talked to her.

"I…I…love you…Akane…"

Ukyo closed her eyes briefly. That part always made her heart hurt a little bit. She looked away from the howling Shampoo and rested her eyes on Kodachi. Ukyo's eyes widened. Kodachi's eyes looked haunted as she stared at the TV screen. Tears were gliding freely down her cheeks.

* * *

_"As banked clouds_

_Are swept apart by the wind,_

_At dawn the sudden cry_

_Of the first wild geese_

_Winging across the mountains._

_In a mountain village_

_At autumn's end—_

_That's where you learn_

_What sadness means_

_Loving you, my heart may shatter into a thousand pieces,_

_But not one piece will be lost._

_There is no color called love in this world,_

_Yet how thoroughly it has died my heart._

_As banked clouds_

_Are swept apart by the wind_

_At dawn the sudden cry_

_Of the first wild geese_

_Winging across the mountains…_"

Ukyo sighed as Shampoo started reciting the poem yet again. Her head hurt. She wasn't sure how many times she had heard it already. She studied the Amazon girl as she dangled in her chains. All the fight had left her so quickly. She barely moaned when Kodachi hit her. At night her voice no longer soothed her. Ukyo had been forced to get used to the jingling of chains, athough she no longer whimpered. Her eyes were vacant, empty. Ukyo wondered briefly how her own eyes looked.

She turned aside to see into the bucket resting at her side, the water gleaming on it still untainted by blood licking from the girl's new wounds. There she saw her own eyes. There she saw how dead they were too. She looked up and stared at Kodachi, sitting in front of Shampoo, listening to her litany. How could she have done this to her? How could only one person destroyed so much all alone…?

"Quiet!"

Ukyo jumped startled at the sharp command and looked down. Kodachi rose from her chair.

"Shampoo, my dear. Are you happy?"

Ukyo ventured to look up again. Kodachi was brushing Shampoo's hair. She had taken to do that when the Amazon had stopped doing it herself. She was as gentle and caring of that long curtain of silky hair as she was brutal with the smooth delicate skin underneath.

"No… Kodachi-samma."

"Oh…and why is that, my dear?"

"I want to go home…"

"This is your home…Do you know why is here your only home?"

Shampoo didn't answer. Kodachi pulled sharply at her hair.

"Ukyo, dear. Why is here your only home? Why are you two here?"

"Because Ranma broke our hearts."

Ukyo answered without thinking. She didn't need to think. She just had to answer and say what Kodachi wanted to hear. She did not understand why Shampoo had problems with such a simple rule.

"He married that wench!"

Kodachi snarled. Shampoo moaned as she yanked at her hair again. With visible efforts, the cold black rose got a hold of her emotions and released the Amazon. She started combing her hair gently again.

"He married that Tendo Akane...Because of him, we suffer so deeply…We lost it all! And she will pay for that. She and Ranma-darling will pay dearly for what they have done!"

The comb snapped in half. Kodachi let the pieces fall to the ground. She walked around to face Shampoo. Ukyo stared quietly as the Black Rose talked softly to the Amazon. She closed her hands in an attempt to control the way they trembled. Shampoo's eyes, before so dull and vacant, were suddenly burning. Then, she spoke, and her voice was strained with rage.

"Luan Ma and Akane die. Xian Pu kill."

Kodachi laughed and walked away, her ribbon twirling around her. Ukyo bent to pick the bucket and the rag to clean Shampoo's new wounds…When Kodachi's voice stabbed her ears yet again.

"You don't think before you talk, Shampoo dear. And I am sure you do not think before you act either. It is a pity…Ukyo-dear, come along."

Shampoo's face contorted into an expression of pure terror as Ukyo put the bucket down and hurried to walk behind Kodachi. The light went down and an anguished ear-piercing wail escaped her throat.

"No! No leave me here alone! No! Ukyo! Kodachi!"

The door banged closed and she was left in darkness.

Ukyo moaned and closed her eyes at the anguished wails that followed them as they marched down the hall. Why couldn't that idiot stand her confinement in silence? Why couldn't she learn to be in darkness? She had learned. She had never begged. Why couldn't Shampoo just stand it in silence?

"Soun Tendo is going to visit an old friend tonight…" She heard Kodachi's voice over Shampoo's muffled wails. "The house is in a rather seclusive part of town. He usually leaves quite late..."

Ukyo knew what was being expected of her and she accepted the offer without question. It was a pity they needed to be drag into their problems…but if Shampoo was going to suffer tonight, so would Akane and Ranma…


	6. Mad and Madder

It was unclear why they were doing this. But Ukyo welcomed the hard work. It kept her from thinking so much. She was tired of her thoughts. She was tired of the screams echoing in her head. She remembered everything as if it had been done by someone else and to a person she did not know. She kept wondering if it had been necessary. She wondered if the attack had being unnecessarily cruel. Maybe the attacker had had reasons to do what she did. Maybe at the moment, simply cutting Soun's throat had not been an option.

Ukyo closed her eyes and shook her head. She was thinking like that again. She kept thinking as if she wasn't…herself. She killed Soun. She had found great pleasure in breaking his body and cutting his flesh. And she had enjoyed even more throwing the broken body in a place where Akane would find it.

She stopped moving stones for a moment. That was more disturbing than thinking in third person. She just accepted killing someone had felt good. She just accepted the sorrow of a girl who had lost her father was nice. She was losing her mind. She was going mad. And she was aware of it. It made it all the most sickening. Her legs were trembling. She wanted to sit down and let herself go. She welcomed that strange sensation. She welcomed the sudden dullness overpowering every thought and every feeling raging through her mind…

"Rúguǒ nǐ nǔlì gōngzuò, suǒyǒu de tòngkǔ shì zhídé de…"

Ukyo latched to that sound. She strained her ears to keep listening to that cute sound.

"…Nǐ juéde jīntiān de tòngkǔ, ràng míngtiān gèng qiáng…"

She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. She took in a deep breath and let it go. Then again and again. She counted her heart-beats and she tried to understand the words that floated in her self-imposed darkness.

"Suǒyǐ rúguǒ nǐ dǎpòle gǔtou huò jiǎnshǎo nǐ de pífū? Tā huì quányù."

Ukyo opened her eyes and looked at Shampoo. The girl was pilling stones neatly on her side of the dwell as she spoke. It wasn't a song. She appeared to be having a dialogue. Ukyo wondered if she was talking to her and had slipped into Mandarin without realizing it. But as she kept listening, Ukyo realized Shampoo was talking as two people. She changed the tone of the sentences and said things in questioning tones. Questions she herself answered. Ukyo wished she could speak Mandarin. It seemed a very interesting conversation.

"Talk Japanese, Shampoo…" She said absently. "Kodachi will hurt you."

Shampoo stopped talking and whirled around. Ukyo straightened as the Amazon cut the distance between them in the blink of an eye. For a fraction of a second, she was sure that death was finally upon her...and she welcomed it. But Shampoo's eyes slowly lost their feral gleam. She raised a hand and placed a finger against her lips.

"Shush..."

Ukyo frowned. Who the hell was she to shush her?

The sound of the door banging open made her jump. Shampoo darted out of the hole. Ukyo quickly followed her. When she reached the top she found Kodachi, dressed in a dark nightmarish gown and Shampoo kneeling before her. She quickly dropped to her knees as well and waited.

"Akane Tendo's heart is broken." Kodachi announced. "First her 'Uncle Genma' and then her own father. And now that obnoxious little piglet. You have both done a wonderful job. She's also so scared."

Kodachi laughed. It was a hideous maddening sound and it echoed in the huge room where they now spent day and nights on end, constructing and working for an unknown purpose. Ukyo waited patiently for the sound to die away. But then another joined it. It was a shrill animalistic sound that barely resembled a human laughter. A mindless terror squeezed Ukyo's heart as she turned to her side to find the source of the sound.

It was coming from Shampoo. She was apparently laughing. Her eyes had lost any light of sanity left. Ukyo wanted to scream. She wanted to leap at her and shut her up. She wanted to strangle her for daring to make such a horrible sound. But she could not move. She could only stare and wait.


	7. Now For Akane

The Tendo Dojo stood quietly at the edge of Nerima. An imposing beautiful building with over 3 centuries of history on its walls...At least those that were not re-built a dozen times in the last couple of years.

The police cars surrounding the Dojo were a jarring sight. Flashy modern antics intruding in the beautiful serenity of times passed. They were placed there by city's ordenance after two of the famous Dojo residents were brutally murdered by a killer that was still at large. And just a few days ago, the youngest daughter of one of the victims had found her pet pig gutted right at the house's doorstep.

People had urged the Tendos to get out of town, they had beg them to hide until the police had time to neutralize the danger. Fortunately, Ranma and Akane had refused. Ukyo wondered if it was out of pride, or if they understood that anyone who gave them shelter may be placed in danger as well. Oh, the nightmares she had had thinking of Nodoka...As it were, she felt fortunate that Kodachi hadn't ordered them to go after Nabiki or Kasumi.

A cold sweat started coating her skin and her breathing quickened. Then again, Shampoo had not been sent to kill yet. And now, the Amazon was loose in the Tendo's home. Oh, she was so stupid. That's why she had been commanded to knock out the cops, so that Shampoo could go in there and do what Ukyo could not. To torment and eliminate those two poor girls. Nabiki was sure a bitch but...She covered her eyes with a trembling hand. What was she doing...? Why couldn't she stop it...?

An ear piercing howl ripped the silence of the night and Ukyo's bones almost jumped out of her skin. A milli-second later, Ranma emerged like a rocket from the house, jumping over the wall and running for the hills as a small white cat gave chase. The animal stopped briefly to glance at Ukyo, before continuing the chase.

It seemed the time to end this was finally at hand.

* * *

Akane was panting and trembling. She had awoken to the horrible sound of Ranma's screams. She thought someone was in the house and was hurting him or Kasumi. Maybe the same person that had killed her father, Uncle Genma, and poor P-chan. But it was only a cat. The little beast had chased him away and she felt very alone and scared.

"Akane?"

"Onee-chan…" She jumped from the bed and met Kasumi, who stood trembling at the door. Her eyes were wide and scared. Akane hugged her. "Don't worry. It's okay. It was just a stupid cat. We are all okay…"

"Where's Ranma?" Kasumi asked in a whisper. He was the only protection they had.

"He'll be back. Don't worry. I am here."

"Akane." Kasumi whimpered in fear.

Akane whirled around. She could feel the blood abandoning her face. There was someone jumping inside through the window. She dropped into a fight stance...but as the figure stepped into the light, the terror banished. It was a girl she knew all too well.

Ukyo sneered at the obvious relief dawning on Akane's face. But, then again, why would she feel anything else? How could anyone suspect that a normal girl-and a former friend, at that- was capable of commiting the horrendous crimes the Tendos had been victims of?

Kasumi was still alive...Where was Nabiki...?

Akane was talking to her. Ukyo struggled to focus.

"…you had left! What…why are you here now?...Are you okay...?"

"Where's Nabiki?"

"...she's..."

"What are you doing here...?" Kasumi asked in a sharp whisper, cowering behind Akane. Ukyo's eyes widened ever so slightly. A bit shocking that the sweet vapid girl seemed to have figured it out faster than Akane.

That feeling of detachment was back. Was she really here, facing Akane and her terrified sister? They were backing away now, and even the youngest sister looked guarded. She wanted to laugh. This was the culmination of all these months-or was it years?- of pain and hard work. Now the cliche ranting of super villains made sense. Of course they would reveal their plans. Of course they would gloat and drink in the horrified faces of their victims. It was so twisted, so inhuman, that doing it, making it a reality, was just hillarious...

...why was Kasumi still alive? Did Shampoo...forget? Should she do it? Her orders were to just knock out the cops, and take Akane after Shampoo was done here. And before midnight...That's when that pervert Happosai came back. Her eyes darted around, searching for a clock. She needed to act and fast. They only had a chance. The gloating villains were always stopped for gloating and being idiots...

Kasumi screamed as Ukyo leaped for Akane with a fearson battle cry. Why was this happening to them? What had they done to deserve this punishment? As quick savage blows were exchange between the girls, she crawled across the floor, searching for something solid to use against the intruder. She finally found Akane's mallet underneath the bed. She crawled to get it but as she dragged it out, her siter grunted and a dry thump shook the floor. She whirled around to find Ukyo now standing in front of her.

"...p-please..." She whispered, unable to lift the heavy weapon off the ground. "...please..."

Ukyo blinked owlishly.

"Get out of town. Now. And do not look back...Or I may come back...and I will have to hurt you."

Kasumi fell to her knees, speechless, powerless as Ukyo returned to her fallen's sister side, and flung her over her shoulder. She then walked to the window and leaped outside.


	8. Now, it Ends

"About time." Ukyo barked at Shampoo as the small cat jumped down from a tree branch to join her outside of the Kuno's residence. The transformed Amazon hissed at her. "Only Ranma gets scared by your fluffy ass, sugar."

She mumbled, pouring hot water over the Amazon's head. Shampoo's body changed back to its natural state. Ukyo handed her a towel and a tight swimsuit. Kodachi probably had a bit of a fixation with the Amazon's body. It would explain why she was either naked, or forced to wear that tight black swimsuit. At least Ukyo had been granted the benefit of having some armor on.

Was it because she behaved better? Was she the favored slave? The good slave? Would she end up like Sasuke...? As loyal as a dog? Enduring it all and genuinely grateful at the smallest display of respect and affection...?

Ukyo blinked. Shampoo was still making weird animal noises. She had knelt next to Akane. She hurried to slung her back over her shoulder. The Amazon leaped to her feet, obviously angered, and Ukyo rose an arm to halt her.

"She's for Kodachi. Hurt her, and you'll regret it." A sneer flashed across Shampoo's face. It was so fast that Ukyo wasn't sure if she had just imagined it. Then again, maybe running free around the city, making Ranma wail and slam against stuff, had shaken the Amazon out of her dazed apathetic state. "Come on." She said. "I want this over with."

The dark isolated corridors of the Tatewaki's household seemed to extend endlessly before them. What was going to happen once they reached the end? Was this really their final task? Would Kodachi kill Akane, or turn her into another maddened slave? Was Ranma the real target of her sadistic plan? Would female Ranma end up joining them too? Was Kodachi a lesbian psychopath who yearned for a harem?

Ukyo blinked. She was drugged, wasn't she? All the time...That's why it was all so bitter. It was all drugged. That was a nice thought. So maybe she wasn't to blame...She was another victim. Just like Genma, and Soun, and Ryoga, and Shampoo...and now Akane. Akane, who had stolen Ranma from her...Or just won. Love wasn't a crime...

A sudden terror gripped her heart and she stopped abruptly. She whirled around. Shampoo was at her back. She looked startled, but Ukyo wasn't going to be fooled.

"What did you do to Nabiki?"

"What?"

"Did you kill her? Why didn't you kill Kasumi?"

"Shut up..." Shampoo hissed at her. "Walk!"

Ukyo didn't want to walk. She needed to know what had happened to Nabiki. What may happen to Kasumi. She didn't want Shampoo at her back.

"You walk in front."

"...why?"

"Because I say so, you little monster. Walk in front...!"

"Because I says so…" Shampoo hissed venomously, but walking passed her to take the front. "Yīnwèi biérén zǒng shì zhèyàng shuō…"

"Talk in Japanese. If Kodachi catches you babbling like that, you'll regret it."

That made Shampoo flinch, and effectively shut her up. Ukyo smiled. Good.

After what felt like an eternity, they reached the iron door that hid Kodachi's room from the rest of the world. Shampoo slammed the door open with daring bluntless and strided inside. Ukyo hurried to catch up to her.

Kodachi sat at the iron throne she had forced them to build. An almost diabolic smile spread across her face.

"We captured Tendo Akane as ordered, Kodachi-samma." Shampoo purred.

Ukyo glared at her, and she made a show of throwing their prisoner at Kodachi's feet. _She_ had captured Akane.

"You have done well, my dears. Now, let us enjoy the fruits of our hardships."

Shampoo made a noise. Ukyo assumed that she was giggling. She should be happy too. This was the end, wasn't it? Or just the beginning of something else? Oh, please, just let Kodachi rip Akane apart and order her remains to be dumped at Ranma's feet...Let it be the end...

"Take her to the dwell and tie her to the pulley."

Ukyo obeyed automatically, and moved to drag Akane's limp body over to the dwell.

"The dwell?" Shampoo asked suddenly. "Why not the…uh…the…."

"The Torture Chamber?" Kodachi asked in a mocking tone, walking regally towards them. "Well, dear, that's were you sleep. Akane is not a slave. She is an honored guest, and thus requires special treatment."

"What…?"

"Oh, my dear Shampoo. You're lucky I'm in such a good mood tonight!"

Ukyo stopped tying the last knots of Akane's bondage and looked over at them. She frowned. There it was again. Shampoo cowered under Kodachi's gaze but there was still something different about her tonight. Something dangerous. Something that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up...

"Throw her in." Kodachi chortled. "Kick her in…!"

Ukyo obeyed. Akane cried out in pain as her feet connected to her ribs. Her body rolled and she fell into the deep dwell, landing hard on the hard floor. Her eyes opened, heavy with sleep and clouded by pain. Ukyo's mouth went dry as their gazes met. It would soon be over. She would soon have her revenge. And death would put an end to Akane's agony...even if it took long to get to it.

"The pain you made me feel, Tendo Akane…" Kodachi was saying, now standing at the edge of the dwell. "The pain that smothered my heart, and poisoned my lungs. It was so hard to breathe for so very long. It burnt. You heartless wench cannot understand the anguish...But you will feel its effects. For as long as your wreched body can endure it."

She hit the stone head of one of the grotesque beasts they had attached to the structure. It retched water into the empty dwell. It started filling up.

Ukyo felt her lips curled into a smile. This was wrong, so horrible and so wrong but...It felt good. It was the end. All of her pain to earn this very moment. She looked up, desperate to find reassurance on her companions. Both Kodachi and Shampoo were looking down at Akane with sick smiles plastered across their faces. Their eyes were dead. Ukyo started having problems to breathe. This...felt so much more real than the last few times. There was no denying it anymore...

Akane was screaming for mercy. She couldn't swim. For some reason, her body sank like a rock in water. Boy, did she know this. She had tried to help her. Help her swim. And failed. Poor Akane was not built for the water. It had to be terrifying...

A sudden shudder shook the house. Akane screamed again as the water waved violently around her. Kodachi did not look away, her laughter growing hysterical. Ukyo, however, was suddenly very aware of what was happening around them. The house shook again. There was the sound of something breaking. And an enraged scream…

"Akane!"

"It Luan Ma!" Shampoo screamed. "Kill Akane! Kill now!"

"No!" Kodachi intercepted Shampoo as she tried to jump into the dwell, and shoved her back. The Amazon rolled with the shove and was soon back on her feet, glaring and hissing at the Black Rose. "How dare you! You unrepenting savage wench...!"

Kodachi's hand flashed to her belt and the ribbon curled free of its confinement. It was brought down mercilessly against the Amazon, biting into her face. Shampoo recoiled with a cry, covering the bleeding wound and enduring the onslaught brought down upon her back.

"Ranma...!" Akane wailed.

"Akane!"

Ukyo watched in wide-eyed stupor as Shampoo leaped for Kodachi, letting out a war-cry so ferocious that it pierced even through Kodachi's madness. The Black Rose stopped the lashing and attempted to shield herself. The Amazon had her by the throat in an instant...and was slamming her head against the floor in the next. Time and time again was the Black Rose rammed against the stone. The bones cracked, the flesh ripped...

Shampoo slammed Kodachi one last time against the floor, and then, like a rabid dog, she just jump on her, ripping her appart, kicking and punching, and slamming her around as if she were a rag doll. Ukyo finally staggered back, moaning in horror. She wanted to look away, but she couldn't. It all looked so familiar. Hadn't she done the same...She had. She had done it...twice...Oh, the noise they had made, the smell...

Shampoo threw Kodachi aside and fixed her maddened eyes on her. Ukyo whimpered. She could not fear Shampoo...She was weak. The Amazon had cried and wail like a child when she had been silent and composed. She had crumbled in days with torments that Ukyo had withstood for months….She could not have just killed Kodachi…She could not have just free them both from this nightmare…

Shampoo sneered at her again, and whirled on Akane.

"Now...now you die...!"

"No!"

Ukyo finally found the strength to move. She screamed as she tackled Shampoo off the air. They rolled across the ground and struggled to stay on top of the other. By sheer luck, Ukyo managed to lock her arms around the Amazon's neck and held for dear life, knowing all too well what would happen if she struggled loose.

"S-stop...!" She heaved, muscles burning with the effort, her heart racing painfully fast. "Just stop it!"

The iron door burst open. Ukyo didn't want to look. She knew who was there. But Shampoo did. Her struggles ceased for wonderful seconds. It was over...It was all over...

"Luan Ma!"

Shampoo exploded back into motion, throwing Ukyo off of her. She rushed towards Ranma, but this time, Ukyo didn't try to stop her. It was over. Ranma was here now...It was all over...And that was real. Dazed, feeling as if she had just woken up from a horrible nightmare, Ukyo started laughing. It was all over...!


	9. Prologue

Ukyo didn't want him here but her voice had no value in that place. She didn't decide when to eat or when to sleep. It wasn't up to her to be outside or inside. She could not choose if it was time for a walk or to be sitting in a chair…

Why was she still a prisoner? It should have ended already. Kodachi was dead, after all. Shampoo had killed her. Shampoo had done what she had been unable to do.

"Ukyo? Ranma is talking to you…"

Ukyo winced as her assigned doctor's voice intruded on her thoughts. Sshe looked up again. Ranma was still sitting in front of her. There was no anger in his face. There was no resentment. He was such a nice guy, after all. So forgiving…

"We all thought you had left. There was a sign in your restaurant…" He said. "I was…hurt 'cause you never tell me…I'm….sorry for all that's happened to you…I never did anything wrong…but it still seems I've caused a great pain for everybody…"

Ukyo agreed with that. He had never done anything wrong. He had only been a great nice guy. He had also been a coward who had being unable to be direct with the maniacs surrounding him. But then again, would have Kodachi listened if he ever said no?

"Its not your fault." She finally said. She realized they were the first words he spoke to him in years. "But you are the cause of it."

He swallowed and looked down.

"I killed your dad, Ranma. I killed Soun Tendo…I killed Ryoga..."

Ranma visibly flinched at that. His face hardened. Ukyo liked him better when he glared at her. She liked him better angry and resentful…But then again, the anger passed and all there was left on his face was pity.

"You did…but you also saved my wife…"

She had saved his wife. She had saved Tendo Akane so that she could end up in a mental institution with Ranma Saotome pitying her from across a nauseously insipid room. That's why she had saved Tendo Akane, so that the lucky bitch could live happily ever after as Ranma Saotome's wife…The boy she had loved too. The boy she had lost everything for…

She had saved their happiness. She had protected their love. She had stopped before the end...

"I forgive you."

Ukyo's heart leaped to her throat. She closed her eyes to stop the tears from spilling out. Without a word, she rose from her chair and asked to be led back to her room.

* * *

A huge man was shoved violently against the cushioned wall of the cell. With a grunt of pain, another one hit his face against the door. A cat burning alive would have shrieked and howled less vehemently than the dangerous patient the entire nurse-staff of Nerima's Mental Institution was trying to restrain.

Small as she was, the girl remained on her feet as they piled up on top of her, her feet holding as firm as concrete pillars despite their attempts to push them from under her. They almost screamed in relief when the girl dropped to her knees and let out another ear-piercing howl.

"This is horrible." A doctor finally arrived to the scene.

One of the fallen nurses crawled to his feet. They always appeared at the last second, when all the racket was over. He glared at the young man, and his mood worsened even more. They were sending delicate-looking snots now to deal with this dangerous psychopath?

"Yeah." He grumbled. "It's a very tragic story. Will you sedate her now? I think she cracked my ribs."

The doctor glared at him and marched inside, approaching the mass of struggling people. The girl was bent over and panting heavily, but still refusing to surrender an inch more. The doctor pushed away some stray locks of hair away from her face and whispered soothingly in her ear.

The struggle stopped. The patient went limp and the nurses quickly maneuvered her into a strait-jacket. It was the third she ripped free off in the last week.

"Danm, what a pain in the ass…"

The sore nurses gathered their fallen comrades and walked out of the door, leaving the doctor alone with the trembling girl. He helped her against one of the cushioned walls.

"You're sure a noisy bitch, did you know that?"

"This all you fault!"

"Shut up. Do you want to get out or not?"

Shampoo nodded enthusiastically. Ukyo winked at her and loosened the straps holding her arms.

* * *

Please, let me know what you think x- should there be a sequel with Ukyo and Shampoo?


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